By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
FNM Deputy Leader Loretta Butler-Turner yesterday branded the government’s decision to reschedule the Constitutional referendum as a “shameful and disrespectful” move.
Mrs Butler-Turner explained that she was angered that women throughout the Bahamas would now have to wait until next year June to be given the chance to have the same rights as their male counterparts.
She, therefore, questioned why the government had not used its summer Parliamentary recess of almost two months to consult the Bahamian people and plan the way forward.
The Long Island MP spoke to The Tribune just after Prime Minister Perry Christie told parliamentarians of his government’s new plans and a deadline for the referendum, which was scheduled for next month.
“The truth of the matter,” Mrs Butler-Turner said, “is this government has no such desire to make the referendum a reality for Bahamians. With all that Mr Christie said, it is clear that they are still not prepared and were not prepared when they first made the announcement that they planned to hold the referendum.
“This is so shameful and disrespectful and sad to say we have been duped and misled. When they followed through with the gaming referendum it cost the Bahamian people $1.2 million despite the fact that it was said that there was no need to have that referendum.”
It is now anticipated that the bills to amend the Constitution will be introduced in the House of Assembly before year’s end. Passaging the Bills through both the House of Assembly and the Senate is expected to be completed by the end of February 2014.
“Nothing surprises me anymore with this Christie-led government. This is the same Christie who thinks that talking works. It’s just too much talk and not enough actions,” Mrs Butler-Turner said.
Comments
nationbuilder 10 years, 7 months ago
actually what would have been shameful and disrespectful is if they did try to hold this referendum next month!! come on!!
concernedcitizen 10 years, 7 months ago
Oh boy LTB talked Tals will have no end of comrades ,red shirts , the fisherman from coopers town w/ this article
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 7 months ago
Maybe the "big fat" women have something called an education and since you're outside "you" probably can't comment or comprehend what constructive work they may be doing on the inside.
concernedcitizen 10 years, 7 months ago
In 2013 as a man i,m shocked that some of us still think like that .Talk about inferiority complex ,but hey its Helmet boy / superman ..
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 7 months ago
Always the smartest person in the room? That's unfortunate.
banker 10 years, 7 months ago
80% of the COB classes are women. Banking is largely a woman's world because of educational standards. Young women in the Bahamas understand the value of an education, whereas young Bahamian males do not.
herecomestheboom 10 years, 7 months ago
Funny she cannot wait a year, but she waited 5 years while the FNM was in power....
john33xyz 10 years, 7 months ago
That's right - as long as Papa was in power - everything was cool. Women's rights? Who ever heard of women's rights back in those days?
The only thing a woman had to do back then was shout and sing "That's my Papa !!!!!"
concernedcitizen 10 years, 7 months ago
Papa held a referendum to give women the rights in 2002 and the PLP put all kind of fears in the people heads and they voted no ..
B_I_D___ 10 years, 7 months ago
How quickly we forget that the PLP...and ONLY the PLP were the main NAY-sayers for womens rights at the last referendum. Everyone else going on about...only a man do this or only someone else do that, or LBT isn't doing her best...blah blah blah...let's leave politics and narrow minded-ness aside here. According to the constitution and the laws of this country, should there be equal rights in the law...yes or no. After that is clarified, you all can be as stupid as you want about being back in the stone age.
banker 10 years, 7 months ago
After Hubert Ingraham lost the referendum on women's constitutional rights, he lost the election. April 2002. It was the day that music died in the Bahamas. When he regained the government in 2007, he gave Bahamians exactly what they wanted -- mediocrity. And Bahamians decided that he wasn't being mediocre enough in 2012, so they gave back the government to a milquetoast, gender-confused, hair-dying, spineless, blathering anti-leader in the form of PGC.
concernedcitizen 10 years, 7 months ago
HAI didn,t run as leader in 2002 ,Tommy T did ..We are one of only 3 countries in the free world where citizenship i s not confered through the mother .
banker 10 years, 7 months ago
I stand corrected. Boy that aberration in the name of Tommy T was eminently a mistake.
B_I_D___ 10 years, 7 months ago
Rory...if you do not know what 'constitutional rights' they don't have, you are more ignorant than I gave you credit for. They are NOT equal in our constitution, and as concernedcitizen says, they cannot even hand down their citizenship to their child...it has to come from the father. There are other biases in the constitution that go along those lines as well...all the rights are granted to the 'wife' only via the husband. My guess is you were probably one of those that voted no the last time we had the referendum on gender equality.
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